They made it inside and were escorted to a table. "What made you decide to become a lumberjack?" she asked once they were seated.
"There's something primal about it. Using your strength to fell a tree," he replied. "At least, that's how I see it. Plus, I get to drive the truck to haul the trees once they're felled. And I love my job," he said with a grin.
She laughed at his comment. "Loving your job is a good thing."
The waitress came and took their order. Once she was gone he decided to turn the conversation around on her. "So what made you decide to become a bartender?"
"I started mixing drinks at parties in high school. Yeah, I wasthatgirl. The wild child," she said with a laugh. "It segued into an interest in doing it for a living as I got older. So here I am."
"Are you from Thorne Bay or are you a transplant?" was his next question.
"Thorne Bay resident born and raised. I moved away for a few years, but I recently returned."
There was a note in her voice that told him there was a story there. One he wasn't sure she was ready to tell, so he didn't push.
Their food arrived and they focused on eating. "Tell me something, darlin', what do you like to do for fun?"
"Depends on the time of year," came her reply. "When it's cold out, I'd rather stay in and watch movies. In warmer weather, I like to get out and enjoy nature. I also like to play pool. That can be done year-round."
"Oh really now? We should play sometime."
"We'll see how the rest of tonight goes first, lover boy. So far, it's not too bad," she replied.
"You're a hard one to please, darlin'," he said, studying her.
"I'm not about to make this easy for you," she replied.
That made him laugh. "I do love a challenge."
"Then you're going to love me," she said to him.
He leaned across the table. "darlin', I think this is the beginning of a beautiful thing."
"We'll fucking see about that, lover boy," she replied sassily.
Yeager chuckled. "Careful, darlin', that mouth just might get you in trouble," he replied.
"If you can't handle a woman who says fuck, we're going to have a problem because it's one of my favorite words," she countered.
"Wrong kind of trouble. I like a woman who speaks her mind. It's hot," he said. He saw her shiver and smirked. "Then again, everything about you is hot," he added. "You're a sexy woman, Frankie."
"I'll bet you say that to all the girls, lover boy," she quipped.
"You make me sound like a manwhore," he growled. "darlin', I'm too busy working to go fucking around." Had he had his share of women? Sure, but it wasn't like he slept with a new one every night.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to imply you fucked anything on two legs."
When she reached across the table and touched his hand, he felt the zing of the mate bond. Fuck, he wanted to take her back to the B & B and fuck her brains out. "Apology accepted, darlin'."
"It's getting late. We should probably head out," she said, looking around.
He did the same and realized they were the last ones there. "Looks like everyone else has already left," he said, pointing out the obvious.
"It just shows how much we were enjoying ourselves, we didn't notice the time," she said as he paid the bill.
"I'm glad you enjoyed yourself, darlin'." He escorted her out to the truck. From there, he drove her back to the Tasty Skull. Once there, he went around to help her out. Before she could step away, he pulled her into his arms. "I've wanted to do this all night," he growled and lowered his mouth to hers.
A small gasp escaped her. Her hands went to his chest, but she didn't try to push him away. No, instead her hands slid up to wrap around his neck and she kissed him back with fervor.
